1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the fields of portable printers and portable data entry devices.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The following prior art is made of record: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,486,259 and 5,483,624; Symbol Technologies, Inc. manual entitled SPT 1500, pages 1 through 20, Copyright 1998; Symbol Technologies, Inc. internet site, Product Information, SPT 1500 Palm Terminal Series, pages 1 through 3, Mar. 23, 1999; Axiohm Thermal Printer Mechanism, User""s Manual THTP Series, Preliminary Issue, reference 3104660-FDE, October, 1998.
The invention relates to a portable printer which can be coupled to a portable data entity device, and when so coupled the combination is a portable assembly which in general can be conveniently carried from place-to-place and which in particular is hand held.
The invention relates to an improved lightweight, portable, hand-held, user-friendly printer for reception of a lightweight, portable hand-held, user-friendly data entry device, and to a combination of such a printer and such a data entry device.
It is a feature of the invention to provide an improved printer adapted to receive portable data entry devices having different shapes. In particular, different models of portable data entry devices of the same or different manufacturers are shaped differently. In order to have various portable data entry device piggyback onto the printer without redesigning the printer, an adapter or adjuster is provided to accommodate differently shaped data entry devices.
According to a specific embodiment of the invention, a set of adapters is provided to receive correspondingly shaped portable data entry devices. Instead of redesigning the printer housing for each different data entry device, a different adapter are provided and each adapter is shaped to fit with a corresponding data entry device. Depending on the shape of the data entry device to be used, the adapter corresponding to that data entry device is assembled along with the remainder of the housing when the printer is being manufactured. Alternatively, in the event a printer has an adapter for one data entry device, the printer can be readily made to accommodate another and differently shaped data entry device by matching a different adapter to that other data entry device and substituting it on the printer housing.
It is another feature of the invention to provide an improved portable printer having a lower housing section, an upper housing section, and a compartment connected to the upper housing section for receiving a portable data entry device in piggyback fashion. One or more printed circuit boards are disposed between the upper and lower sections. There is a battery compartment in the lower housing section, and a card reader and a printer module including a print head are mounted on the circuit board. The card reader is disposed between the compartment and the printhead. An improved elastomeric grip includes an actuator and a data port plug. A specific embodiment of the printer includes an elongate hand-held housing having a front portion which has a compartment or pocket for receiving a data entry device. The housing also has a rear portion. There is space at the rear portion for receiving a roll of a label web. A print module or mechanism is disposed at the rear portion for printing on the label web, and the print module including a thermal print head and a platen roll cooperable with the print head. It is preferred that the housing compartment have an open top for access to the data entry device. The platen roll is preferably mounted on a cover for an access opening to the label roll space. A set of batteries and the print module are preferably mounted on an elongate circuit board disposed in the printer housing. The batteries are preferably located at the front portion of the printer housing. The compartment is preferably open-fronted and is channel-shaped for slidably, receiving the data entry device.